


Something That Lingers

by DizzyDrea



Series: Two Against the Storm [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel (Movies), The Avengers (2012)
Genre: F/M, Romance, Stolen Moments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-11
Updated: 2013-02-11
Packaged: 2017-11-28 22:01:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/679337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DizzyDrea/pseuds/DizzyDrea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was something about him, this itinerant traveller seventy years removed from everything he knew and loved, something that lingered in her mind long after he'd gone. It was completely ridiculous and made her feel like a school girl, but she just couldn’t help herself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something That Lingers

**Author's Note:**

> So. This wasn't going to become a thing for me. It really wasn't. But, like most things, it sucked me in. I can't seem to resist the charms of Steve and Maria together. I blame this entirely on tielan, who asked for more. Here, it would seem, is more. I hope you like it. The title comes from the song _Overwhelmed_ , by Tim McMorris.
> 
> Disclaimer: The Avengers and all its particulars are the property of Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Studios, Joss Whedon, and a lot of other people who aren’t me. I am doing this for fun and for practice. Mostly for fun.

~o~

Maria Hill wandered down the street, past shops and restaurants bereft of people, feeling like an outsider despite her attire. She’d eschewed her normal uniform and hairstyle for a sundress and flowing locks, the better to fit in. It made her uncomfortable, like she was an imposter in her own skin.

Her eyes scanned the crowds as she passed. They were all leaned against the railings or standing on the docks of the marina, watching the sunset, of all things. It was like someone had pressed the pause button on the Key West lifestyle, and everyone had just stopped what they were doing to watch. And despite her clothing, and the wedgy sandals on her feet, she stuck out precisely because she hadn’t paused her progress to stop and enjoy the sight.

She thought about just turning around and driving back to Miami, giving up this fool’s errand as a lost cause and forgetting she’d ever come, but some unnamed thing in the back of her mind kept her feet moving and her eyes scanning the crowd. She resettled her straw bag on her shoulder and slowed her pace, eyes never stopping their circuit of the gathered spectators.

Finally, she spotted what—or rather who—she was looking for. At the end of the pier, ramrod straight and correct posture despite the fact that he was leaning against the railing, stood Steve Rogers, surprisingly anonymous in a muted green shirt and jeans. She paused for just a moment to admire the long lines of his body, the muscles evident even when he was at rest. She wasn’t one to ogle anyone, man or woman, but Captain America was no ordinary man.

Shaking her head to dislodge those thoughts, she moved closer, pausing at the railing a mere foot from him.

"Captain," she said, drawing his attention to her.

He turned to her, surprise lighting up his face. "Agent Hill. I didn’t expect to see you here."

"Neither did I," she said, smiling sardonically.

His eyes raked over her, and she flushed at his scrutiny, innocent though it might have been. When their eyes met, she found his lit with some small pleasure, and she hoped it was at seeing her again, as foolish as that might be.

"Is everything all right?" he asked, frowning.

She shook her head. "No major emergencies to report, Captain."

"Then why are you here?"

There was no accusation or hostility in his voice, just a note of curiosity and perhaps something more that she dared not think about.

"You missed your last scheduled check-in," she said. "Director Fury became... concerned."

"Sorry," he said, a note of apology in his tone. "Guess I lost track of time."

"It’s okay," she said, even though the memory of Fury going off on a ten minute rant about irresponsible superheroes was still ringing in her ears.

"How did you find me?"

"We Lojacked your ride."

"I—" Steve’s frown resolved into a sheepish smile. "—have no idea what you just said."

"Fury put a tracker on your motorcycle," Maria said, feeling somewhat chagrined now that she actually had to admit it. It had, after all, been her idea.

"Ah," he said, nodding his head. "Makes sense, I guess."

He turned back to the sunset, and she took the opportunity to study his profile. She’d seen his file; the before and after pictures, Stark’s report on the effects of the Super Soldier Serum, and all the mission reports detailing his exploits once they’d figured out just what to do with him. But none of that told her just who he was, underneath all the muscles and Americana, and for some reason, she had a burning need to know. There was something about him, this itinerant traveller seventy years removed from everything he knew and loved, something that lingered in her mind long after he'd gone. It was completely ridiculous and made her feel like a school girl, but she just couldn’t help herself.

"So," she said, breaking the silence, "why Key West?"

He glanced at her, barely taking his eyes off the sunset unfolding before them as he lifted his shoulders in a barely-there shrug. "It was the farthest south I could go on my motorcycle and still be in the US."

"Have you ever been before?"

It was a silly question. She knew he’d grown up in Brooklyn and never left that idyllic community until the war had broken out and he’d volunteered to be re-engineered for the greater good. But no one had ever said that Maria Hill had smoking conversational skills. In her line of work, conversation was highly overrated.

"Nope," he said, flashing a smile. 

Apparently, Steve Rogers wasn’t the blazing conversationalist either, because it appeared that was all he planned to say on that matter.

They stood in companionable silence for a while, just watching the sun as it sank toward the horizon, painting the sky in bright reds and oranges. There was a puddle of shimmering light streaking over the water’s surface, dancing brightly as its echo glanced off the boats floating in the marina. It was iconic in so many ways; a slice of life so different than her own that she could do nothing other than pause and take it all in and be amazed.

Maria couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually stopped to watch a sunset; her life had run non-stop since the moment she’d set her sights on joining SHIELD, so stopping to watch a sunset seemed like a waste of time she could be using to further her goals. But this was nice, she found. No one was shooting at them, she didn’t have a dozen department heads clambering for her attention about things they could damned well handle themselves, and there was no Nick Fury in sight. Just her, Steve and the Key West sky. For a person used to filling every hour of every day with something, it was surprising to find she was enjoying doing absolutely nothing.

"It is nice, isn’t it?"

She turned startled eyes to him. "Did I say that out loud?"

His smile was charming, drawing her further in. "Yes, you did."

"Great," she said, shaking her head. "I’m not here an hour and I’m already going native."

"You can relax, you know," he said, leaning in closer. "We’re on vacation, and there’s no one here to see."

"You may be, but technically I’m not."

"So, you came all the way down to Key West, just to check on me?" he asked. "On Fury’s orders?"

This time, a little of the chagrin peaked out in her expression. "I volunteered," she mumbled, looking anywhere but at him.

"You volunteered," he said. "To come down here to check on me?" When she nodded, he tilted his head, radiating curiosity. "Why?"

"You missed your check-in."

She’d said it so matter-of-factly, as if that were the most logical thing in the world, but she knew it was anything but.

"You could have called," he said. "Fury gave me a phone before I left."

"Do you even know how to use it, Captain?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. This, she could do, banter with him, keep it professional.

He smiled all the wider, as if he knew some great secret that she wasn’t privy to. "Tony showed me how before I left."

"Great," she said, groaning as she rolled her eyes. Knowing Tony, he’d downloaded some inappropriate ring tones and more than a few games. Not that Steve would know what to do with any of that, thank heaven. "A juvenile delinquent teaching an innocent farm boy the ins and outs of smart phones. That’s not a recipe for disaster."

Steve only chuckled. "I didn’t grow up on a farm, Agent Hill, though I suspect you already know that. And I managed to undo the worst of the damage Tony inflicted on the phone at my first rest stop."

"I’ll believe that when I see it," she said. 

"You still haven’t answered my question."

"I don’t believe you’ve asked one."

"Why didn’t you just call?" he asked quietly, stepping just a little bit closer, so that the distance between them was mere inches.

She looked into his eyes, the sunset long forgotten. He had kind eyes, she noted absently. They were dancing with mirth, but behind that was some lingering sadness that was pinching around the edges, hinting at the inner turmoil that had chased him all the way to Key West. She wanted to reach up and run her fingers over his face, smooth the cares from the lines around his eyes. It surprised her, how much she wanted to reach out to him in that moment. 

She turned away from him, fighting the powerful urge to touch. It was inappropriate; they worked together, and she had a strict policy against workplace entanglements. And she barely knew the man, though she suspected she knew him better than almost anyone since his return. She knew she couldn’t take what she wanted; she was stronger than that. But she could give him the truth. That had to count for something.

She looked up, meeting his eyes once more. "You’re alone now, seventy years removed from anything familiar. When you missed your check-in, I volunteered to look in on you. It’s too easy to lie over the phone, so I came down here."

"But I’m not alone," he said, smiling sweetly down at her.

Maria made a show of looking around. "Unless you’ve made some invisible friends that I don’t know about, you look kind of alone to me."

"You forgot someone," he said.

"Who?" she asked, frowning.

"You." He reached out and took her hand in his. "You’re here, so I guess that means I’m not quite as alone as I was."

His touch was electric, sending little shocks through her. This time when she looked at him, their eyes locked and she couldn’t have looked away if she’d tried. She shook her head, chuckling a little at her schoolgirl reaction.

"Isn’t that a little cheesy?" she asked.

He shrugged, a faint blush working its way over his cheeks. "It’s also true."

The sun had finally trickled down beneath the horizon, and Maria was surprised to note that they were the only ones still standing in the same place. It sobered her somewhat, and reminded her that she’d accomplished what she’d set out to do. It was time to go, and let Steve get back to whatever it was he was doing. She hitched her purse higher on her shoulder and squeezed his hand.

"Just don’t miss your next check-in," she said, smiling to soften the blow. "Otherwise Fury might send someone else next time, and I doubt you’ll like the next person he sends."

She turned to leave, but he tugged on her hand, not letting go. When she turned back, she met his sheepish smile with a raised eyebrow.

"Have dinner with me," he said, closing the distance between them once more. "Unless you need to get back."

She did. She had an entire forest of paperwork waiting for her back at headquarters, plus meetings with city officials regarding the rebuilding efforts currently ongoing—and as much as she might like to, letting Fury handle those meetings was inviting disaster—plus, she hadn’t actually seen the inside of her apartment in God only knew how long. And yet, every fibre of her being was telling her to say yes, even if it wasn’t the smart thing to do. 

She looked at him, at the hope burning bright in his deep blue eyes. He was a remarkable man, and not because he was the first and last super soldier. Well, not only because of that. He was the type of man that no longer existed on earth, at least in her experience: a gentleman, kind, genuine, loyal. There was something infinitely appealing about that.

She debated only a heartbeat longer. "I’d like that."

She could do this, spend the evening with a good man and enjoy the moment. And tomorrow, she would return to SHIELD Headquarters and get on with her life. It didn't have to mean anything more than just two people—two friends—having dinner together. People did it all the time. She wasn't going to think about—wasn't going to let herself think about—anything beyond that.

The smile that broke over his face was worth any grief she’d face later. He lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of her knuckles before tucking it into the crook of his elbow and leading her down the sidewalk.

He asked her a question, but the blood roaring in her ears drowned his words out, and he had to repeat himself.

"What are you in the mood for?"

She cocked her head, giving the question more thought than it probably warranted. "You know what? Surprise me."

He smiled down at her once more, and this time she smiled in return. 

~Finis


End file.
